Friday, August 26, 2005

Kanpai!


On the way to Berkeley yesterday to forage for household decor at Ohmega Salvage (wow, too much fun), we stopped at 99 Ranch Market at the Pacific East Mall in Richmond. I've been missing the flavors of Asian food, and had even been trying to come up with a formula for local "soy" sauce. (Not trying very hard, I confess, but I was thinking along the lines of fermented walnuts. Is that nuts?)
Our purpose was to just browse, but upon browsing the sake aisle, we came across Takara Sake, brewed in Berkeley from rice grown in the Sacramento Valley. Hey, that's less than 100 miles from my house!
The Nama Organic sake is light and apple-y. The Sierra sake is light and apple-y, with a slightly golden tint. I liked the Nama better, but it's hard to say why, except that it seems crisper. Oh -- it has more alcohol; that might explain it.
I hope my diligent research and dedicated local diet is enough to atone for the potstickers and turnip cake I indulged in, from the take-out corner of the store ($1.65 for three pieces each). My punishment is that the soy sauce in the little plastic envelope was crappy.
However, I do have some walnuts in the fridge...

6 comments:

Monkey Gland said...

Hmm, they look pretty tasty there. I may have to try and get over the fear of sake I have, everytime I smell it a very dimly remembered night from my college years tries to break through and remind me why I shouldn't drink it...

cookiecrumb said...

These don't even smell like what you remember. You chill them, which should take off any potential woozy smell -- but it's just not there in the first place. Very picnicky, actually.
Oh! And the bottles are small, so you don't get to overserve (heh) yourself.

Greg said...

Never had a fig..ok I had Fig newtons. Would try one that looks that good.
G.

cookiecrumb said...

Greg, try them this weekend. The second crop is in full swing (there are two each summer). The outsides taste funky, and the insides are like honey, velvet and -- (coughcough) -- sex.

Greg said...

Yikes!
G

Monkey Gland said...

I couldn't agree more there Cookie! I always a bit dirty eating them...in a good way.